Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth

New York Times Bestseller | Wall Street Journal Bestseller | Publishers Weekly Bestseller | Publishers Marketplace 2020 Buzz Book | Amazon Best Book of the Year | Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

Harvard’s top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star.

“Provocative and thrilling ... Loeb asks us to think big and to expect the unexpected.”—Alan Lightman, New York Times bestselling author of Einstein’s Dreams and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine

In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top astronomer, showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and left no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization.

In Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his controversial theory and its profound implications: for science, for religion, and for the future of our species and our planet. A mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination, Extraterrestrial challenges readers to aim for the stars—and to think critically about what’s out there, no matter how strange it seems.

What does the evidence reveal, and why does the scientific establishment resist it?

• ’Oumuamua: A deep dive into the 2017 discovery of an object that moved too fast, followed a strange orbit, and left no cometary trail—defying all-natural explanations.
• Are We Alone?: Why Harvard’s top astronomer concluded that the object was not an asteroid or comet, but a piece of advanced technology from a distant civilization.
• Scientific Conservatism: An unflinching look at why the scientific community is often reluctant to consider extraordinary possibilities, and why it’s critical to follow the evidence, no matter how strange.
• The Future of SETI: A mind-bending exploration of what this discovery means for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, religion, and the future of our species on this planet.